This is slightly off topic and I haven't read the entire thread yet so bare with me.

What is considered a good time to cool down 5 gallons worth of wort? My friend and I were able to cool 5 gallons of boiling wort down to 75 degrees in about 8 minutes using nothing but a container filled with ice and a little bit of water.

This is slightly off topic and I haven't read the entire thread yet so bare with me.

What is considered a good time to cool down 5 gallons worth of wort? My friend and I were able to cool 5 gallons of boiling wort down to 75 degrees in about 8 minutes using nothing but a container filled with ice and a little bit of water.

There are just too many variables, based on where you live, what kind if system you're using, and what temp you want to chill to, to come up with just one right answer for that.

For instance, I use a plate chiller (Blichmann Therminator), and just by transferring the wort through the chiller on its way to the fermentor, I can do it in about 5 minutes with 60° wort right now. I'm not sure how well it will work in the winter, but it will definitely be even better. However... my results are not really attainable with most systems in most locations, so it's really only a good benchmark for people who live nearby.

This is slightly off topic and I haven't read the entire thread yet so bare with me.

What is considered a good time to cool down 5 gallons worth of wort? My friend and I were able to cool 5 gallons of boiling wort down to 75 degrees in about 8 minutes using nothing but a container filled with ice and a little bit of water.

I'd say about 3pm.

8 minutes is a very good cold break. And you only used an ice bath? Man, you must have been sloshing that wort around like crazy.

Usually it takes my friend and I about 10-15 minutes to cool down a 5 gallon batch with a CFC, and we've never had chill haze issues.

Lightbulb! My housemates don't drain their pool, they winterize it with some sort of antifreeze (?). When the temps get down in a few months I could just toss that pump into the shallow end and not use a cooler/bucket.

Unless those chemicals (chlorine, pool shock, antifreeze stuff) do naughty things to copper? This is less and less like a good idea...